Meet the Governors

The Role of The Governing Body

The role of the Governing Body of Ascot Heath CE Junior School is to enable outstanding levels of education for the children in our school, and an environment in which all children have an opportunity to be at their best and fulfil their potential. We do this by:

Setting the school's vision, ethos and strategic direction;

Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils;

Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

The Governing Body (GB) provides strategic management, acting as a "critical friend” to support the work of the Headteacher and other staff. To fulfil the requirements of governance, we meet regularly as a Full Governing Body with two main sub-committees:

Resources (Chair - John Leitch) and;

Curriculum and Learning (Chair - Anika Raithatha).

Governors also visit the school often to meet with staff, teachers and pupils, to develop their knowledge of the school and to monitor its progress against the School Improvement Plan.

Although we all fulfil the same key role outlined above, there are different categories of school governor who contribute a range of viewpoints for discussion and decision-making. Parent Governors are usually elected by parents, (although they can be appointed by the GB if no one stands for election); Co-opted Governors are appointed by the GB based on their skills; Foundation Governors are appointed by the Oxford Diocese, and Local Authority governors are appointed through Bracknell Forest Borough Council. Staff Governors are elected by staff; the Headteacher is an ex-officio member and; Associate Members can be brought in to provide additional expertise and support, but they do not have voting rights at Full Governing Body meetings, although they can be allocated voting rights on committees.

The Governors at Ascot Heath CE Junior School adhere to the National Governors Association Code of Conduct, which can be found at the bottom of the page, alongside the Register of Business Interests and Governor Attendance.

We regularly produce a Governors’ newsletter to keep parents, carers and the wider school community informed and updated. Our most recent newsletter can be found at the bottom of the page.

Catherine Bates – Executive Head Teacher, Ex-Officio Governor

Curriculum and Learning Committee, Resources Committee

I have been the Head Teacher at Ascot Heath Infants School for the past 11 years. I retired in August 2018 and was asked to be Executive Head Teacher at the Junior school, two days a week. I am also Executive Head Teacher at Ascot Heath Infant School two days a week. I am working closely with Mr Browne to lead and support the school’s improvement journey towards ‘Good’. I believe every child should have the best learning opportunities every day at school. When I am not working I enjoy time spent with my family and reading, holidays, sewing and knitting!

John Leitch – Chair of Governors, Co-Opted Governor

Resources Committee (Chair)

Term of office: Sept 2017 - Sept 2021

Hello, my name is John Leitch and I am honoured to have been elected as Chair of the Governing Body. I work for a global engineering company as a project manager. As a Dad to 3 daughters, I have a keen interest in education within our community. I have also been a co-opted Governor at Ascot Heath Infant School for the past 3 years and support the two schools working more closely.

I am conscious that we are in changing times but I am confident that, if all of us involved in our school work together for the best outcomes for the young people in our charge, we will not only navigate through it, we will succeed and transform lives in the process. I am very proud of all of our students and staff, and I am committed to making them and our community proud of our school and the governing board I am now fortunate enough to be leading.

Sam Browne – Head of School, Associate Member

Curriculum and Learning Committee (with voting rights on committee)

Term of office: Mar 2018 - Mar 2022

I am the Head of School. I am in my eleventh year working at Ascot Heath, and have taught across all year groups during my career. I was the staff governor for eight years and am now an Associate member of the governing body. Having grown up in North Ascot, I am proud of our school, the staff, the community and the children and I am dedicated to offering the best education possible to our children. When I am not working, I spend my time with my wife and two children and (usually) enjoy supporting London Irish RFC, Brentford FC and Surrey CCC.

I have been working in the education sector for the last fifteen years, starting as a Teaching Assistant, progressing to a Teacher and then as an Assistant Head Teacher. I have experience from Early Years to Year 6 and I have also worked in Pupil Referral Units supporting individuals who have been excluded from mainstream school. I have developed my interests and skills in the area of special educational needs and have used my Psychology degree to support this. My aim is to continue to support and enhance the education of the children of the next generation.

Emily-Rose Kimber – Staff Governor

Curriculum and Learning Committee

Term of office: Feb 2017 - Feb 2021

Emily-Rose Kimber is a Staff Governor, Year 5 Classroom Teacher and member of the school’s Senior Leadership Team. She has been teaching for six years and is proud to be part of Ascot Heath and its community. She is excited to be part of the Governing body with the chance to work as part of a team; to continue to develop our school to be the best possible learning environment for our future generations.

Father Darrell Hannah - Foundation Governor

Term of office: Mar 2018 – Mar 2022

Father Darrell is the Rector of All Saints' Church. An American, he is married to Linda, a Swedish national who teaches violin at the Marist schools. Linda and Darrell have one son, Michael, who is a pupil at Ascot Heath Infant School. Before becoming Rector of All Saints', Father Darrell had a career in academia and held teaching and/or research posts at the universities of Sheffield, Birmingham and Oxford. Father Darrell can be found in the school most Thursday mornings when he leads the school in a collective act of worship.

Pam Lakin – Foundation Governor

Curriculum and Learning Committee

Term of office: Feb 2018 – Feb 2022

I serve as Foundation Governor. I have lived in Ascot for over 30 years and have had 3 children attend the school. My background is in Education and my strengths are English, Reading and SEN. I am pleased to have joined the Governing Body and I am committed to supporting the school so that every child can achieve their potential.

Daniel Webb – Co-Opted Governor

Term of office: Oct 2017 – Oct 2021

I became a co-opted governor in October 2017 and have been living in Ascot for the last 8 years. I have a daughter currently in Year 5 and a son who is in Ascot Heath Infants. I volunteered to join the Governing body in the expectation of using my professional expertise within education and sport to support the head teacher and fellow governors with the school strategy. Over the past 20 years I have been a PE teacher and Director of Sport, and am now Senior housemaster at Whitgift school. I also work at Saracens rugby academy and oversee the Kent RFU rugby development programme. I believe in the strength of having a strong local community and look forward to help guide a school where our children are safe, challenged and happy.